After the deaths of their parents, two sisters from a tenant farming family live together. The 12-year-old elder sister begins to plan a life for both of them. After many twists and turns, relying on strategies beyond her age, the elder sister marries into a landlord's family as a concubine and gradually takes charge of the family's affairs. Not overly worried about her life and future, the younger sister marries the friend she played with in her childhood. The author describes the different personalities, destinies and life attitudes and paths of the two sisters, White Peony and Red Apricot, and the general and unique relationships between the sisters, their surroundings and the times. In the vicissitudes of fate, the great changes to the social environment in the decades before and after China's liberation are shown.
